Hearing Josie hiss in pain with every step we took not only broke my heart but enraged me beyond belief. The idea that there were still men in this world that could harm women like this without batting an eyelash made me hungry for their blood. My arm gingerly draped around Josie’s waist. I didn’t want her to feel as if I were taking advantage of a situation, despite the fact that I thought she was breathtakingly gorgeous.
You know, beneath the bruises, the stitches, and the blood still caked on her face.
“In here. Cole’s waiting for you,” I said.
She paused. “Wh-wh—who’s Cole?”
I swallowed down my anger at the fear still laced in her voice. “He’s one of our guys. Used to be a combat medic. He can help clean you up and get you something for the pain. Is that okay?”
She slowly looked over at me. “And—who are you?”
I tried my best to smile. “Archer. The name’s Archer. I’ve been running with this crew for a few years now.”
Her lower lip quivered. “Can I lay down?”
Cole poked his head out of his room at the end of the hallway. “Yes, you can. It’ll help me work better if you’re laying down anyway.”
Fear rushed behind Josie’s eyes and I shushed her softly. She laid her head against my shoulder and I ushered her down the hallway, trying not to concentrate on the mixture of tears and blood gracing my t-shirt. I helped her into Cole’s room where he already had his trunks of utensils and shit he needed splayed out everywhere.
And after getting Josie laid down on the bed, she slipped her hand into mine.
“Stay, please,” she whispered.
I perched on the edge of the bed. “As you wish.”
I watched her eyes twitch as Cole dabbed alcohol wipes all across her face. The stitches holding her forehead closed had obviously been done professionally, but the glue holding the corner of her eye together was already coming undone. Cole prepared himself for stitches and I watched as he stuck a sterile needle into a very small bottle before hovering it over Josie’s frightened face.
“I’m going to numb up the side of your left eye a bit before I stitch you up. The glue is already coming undone, and it’s too deep to heal on its own. Okay?”
Josie nodded slowly. “All right. Just—be quick? Yeah? I really hate needles.”
Cole leaned forward. “I’ll do my best. Try to hold still for me.”
Josie gripped my hand so tightly that I lost feeling in my fingers. Damn, this woman had some serious forearm strength. Then again, she was a stripper, and she needed to have that kind of strength on a bar. I wondered what would drive such a beautiful young woman to do something so demeaning. Did she not have other job prospects?
She simply didn’t strike me as the kind of girl to dive head-first into a world like this.
“Shit,” Josie hissed.
Cole shook his head. “Sorry, sorry. Let me get a little more numbing—”
Josie grunted. “Mm-mm. Mm-mm. Just hurry up and finish.”
With a nod of his head, Cole quickly finished the stitching before tying it off. Then, he set his sights checking over the rest of her. The bruising around her neck made me sick to my stomach. But when Cole lifted her shirt and paused, I knew it wasn’t good.
“What?” I asked.
Cole swallowed hard. “Let me know if you feel this, Josie.”
And the second he pressed against her side, she cried out so badly that footsteps barreling down the hallway.
“What is it!? Josie!”
A rapid knocking followed by Astrid’s voice sounded behind the door and I got up. Josie tugged at me, trying to get me to sit back down, but I couldn’t let her simply stand there with that kind of worry laced in her voice. I opened the door and she pressed past me with tears streaming down her cheeks.
And when she gathered Josie’s hand within hers, I perched in a corner to watch over them both.
Guess her and Porter finally talked.
The damage to Josie was extensive, and the more Cole uncovered, the angrier I became. Men that harmed women were the worst of the worst. But it was clear to me that they were sending a message to Josie while also making an example out of her. I licked my lips and curled my hands around the edges of the chair I sat in, gripping it with all of my might. I let anger fill the marrow of my bones, reminding me of exactly why we were going after The Black Flags in the first place.
And when we slaughtered them, I hoped we held a barbecue right on top of their graves.
“Archer!”
I reached my hand out as men dragged her away. “Susie! No!”
A growling voice sounded behind me. “Get over here, fuck-stick.”
“Archer! Please!” my sister cried out.
I raked my nails against the floor, trying to get to her. “Kick, Susie! Just like I taught you!”
“Arch—no! Stop it! Please! Archer! Archer!”
“Archer!”
Astrid’s voice snapped me out of my trance, and I leapt to my feet. “What do you need?”
Josie sniffled. “Water?”
Astrid nodded. “She’s thirsty. We want to see how water sits on her stomach.”
I looked down and saw the extensive bruising on her torso. There were boot prints that had been clearly imprinted into her skin and I relished the opportunity to leave the room. Because if I didn’t, I wasn’t liable for what might happen.
Especially since Cole’s bedroom sat right next to a storage unit we housed in the clubhouse for an emergency cache of weapons.
“Be right back,” I murmured.
I tore out of the room and stormed down the hallway, trying to clear my mind of that awful, disgusting moment. I blinked back tears as my sister’s voice echoed off the corners of my mind, begging me to help her. Begging me to stop them.
Begging me for something I couldn’t provide for her.
“Damn it, Susie,” I whispered to myself.
“How is she?” Porter asked.
I ripped a bottle of water out of the fridge. “It’s so fucking bad, man. I can’t—I can’t even talk—”
Brooks placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, we get it.”
No, you don’t. “Yeah, I know.”
I cracked the bottle open and took a swig of it myself, though I wished to fuck-on-high the liquid had been vodka instead. I drew in a deep breath and calmed the raging sea of disgust in the pit of my stomach. I turned on the balls of my feet and started back down the hallway, taking the opened bottle of water with me.
And when I slipped back into the bedroom, Cole and Astrid had Josie sitting upright.
I held the bottle up. “I took a bit of a sip.”
Josie stared at the drink in my hand. “Half the bottle is ‘a bit of a sip?’”
Astrid giggled. “Give it here; it’s fine.”
Josie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like drinking after others.”
I handed the bottle to Astrid. “I promise I don’t have cooties.”
Josie groaned. “Trust me, cooties are the least of my worries right now.”
Cole stood to his feet. “I just gave her some pain medication in her upper arm, and it seems to already be working. She’s a bit more alert now that her brain isn’t clouded.”
I eased myself back into my chair. “What can she take for the pain outside of that?”
Cole walked over to one of his trunks before pulling out an orange pill bottle. “These.”
Josie sipped her water. “What are those?”
Cole bobbed his head as he counted the pills before walking back over to the bed. “Each pill is a miniature dose of hydrocodone. You can take one in the morning, and then another one twelve hours later.”
Astrid reached for the pills. “Perfect. I’ll get her set up on a schedule.”
Josie shook her head. “No. I’m not going with you.”
Astrid snickered. “Don’t be insane, Josie. Of course, you’re coming back with me and Porter.”
But Josie stayed steadfast. “Astrid, you’re just now starting a life with a man you’ve been fighting to be with since you were a teenager. I’m not throwing a wrench into that.”
“You’re hardly a wrench, Josie, since we’re using first names now. You’re my best fucking friend. There’s no one else better suited to—”
I raised my hand. “She can come stay with me if it’s that big of a deal.”
The room fell silent as Cole shot me a curious look. Astrid’s eyebrows slowly rose. I felt Josie’s beautiful eyes on me, albeit bruised, battered, and swollen still. And when Astrid scoffed, I simply dug my heels in deeper.
“She’s not going home with you,” she said.
I shrugged. “Then let Josie make the decision.”
Josie sipped her water again. “If it’s my call, I’m heading home.”
“No,” Astrid and I said in unison.
Cole chuckled. “The three of you can figure this out on your own. My job is done. Josie?”
She looked up at Cole. “Yeah?”
He pointed at her. “No more than two. You have just enough of a supply for ten days, but after that I can only recommend Tylenol and ibuprofen interchanged to help with the pain. Don’t take any more—or any less—than one every twelve hours. Got it?”
She nodded, pain wafting behind her eyes. “Got it.”
And once he left the room, the argument picked up where it left off.
“You’re my best friend,” Astrid said as she brushed some hair away from Josie’s forehead, “and I want to make sure you’re taken care of.”
Josie finished off the rest of the water. “Well, the water is sitting fine, and I’m actually getting hungry. In a few days, I’ll be back on my feet and feeling just fine. The bruises will be around longer than the pain, is what Cole told me. So, all I want to do is ride this out at home. Where I feel safest.”
I shrugged. “Except, it might not be safe for you to go home.”
Both of the girls looked at me, but it was Josie who spoke. “And why’s that, Mr. Smarty Pants?”
Fierce. I like it. “The Black Flags—the guys we believe did this to you—probably knows where you live.”
“Oh, really? And how’s that?”
“Don’t,” Astrid warned.
I peeked over at her. “She has a right to know.”
Josie blinked. “Know what?”
I cleared my throat as I stood. “We believe The Black Flags crew that has been giving us so much trouble here lately has bought out the strip club you work in. They’re your new bosses, which means they have access to your employee file. They know where you live, and that’s the first place they’ll search for you if they want to find you again.”
Josie’s eyes lined with tears. “He’s kidding, right? Tell me he’s kidding, Astrid.”
Then, Astrid turned her head to face her best friend. “I wish he was. But he’s not. That’s the intel all of us are working with right now.”
A tear streaked Josie’s cheek. “My God.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and gazed into her eyes. “You’d be safe with me. Those Black Nutsacks don’t know where I live, and even if they did, it would be hard to get to me without me knowing they’re coming.”
Josie paused. “Why’s that?”
I placed my hand against her forearm, which was about the only part of her body that didn’t have a damn bruise on it. “Because I live in a gated community on the beach with regular patrols that take place. Plus, security cameras.”
Astrid snickered. “You live in one of those preppy neighborhoods I see all the time around here?”
I ignored her question. “You’d not only be safe with me, but you’d have a wonderful view while healing. I’ll make sure you stick to your medicine schedule, I can cook decent-enough meals, and when you’re on your feet I’ll drive you home myself.”
And even though Astrid continued to protest in the background, Josie held my eyes.
Almost as if she were contemplating taking me up on my offer.
